Sarnia-Lambton and Oxford to welcome four new resident doctors through expanded training program

Western University is launching family medicine residency positions at Bluewater Health and Rapids Family Health Team starting next year.

Editor's Note: The previous headline left out Oxford and has since been added.

Sarnia-Lambton will soon have more resident physicians training and practising locally, as Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry expands its family medicine residency program. Beginning in 2027, two new residents will train at Bluewater Health and Rapids Family Health Team, helping address physician shortages in the region.

A second site will launch in Oxford County with two additional residents, creating four new family medicine residency positions across Southwestern Ontario.

"Expanding family medicine training in Sarnia-Lambton is an important investment in the future of primary care locally and will help strengthen access to care for patients and families," said Dr. Michel Haddad, regional academic director for Lambton and chief of staff and vice-president, medical affairs at Bluewater Health.

The residency program builds on Western University's network of more than 60 communities across Southwestern Ontario, supported by more than 110 health-care partner sites and nearly 1,000 clinical faculty members.

Residents will train across hospital, clinic and community care settings, gaining experience in emergency medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgery, internal medicine, palliative care and comprehensive family medicine. They will work closely with local physicians and health-care teams with an emphasis on mentorship and hands-on learning.

"By embedding residents directly into these communities, we are not only providing them with a uniquely diverse, hands-on clinical education, but we are also addressing the urgent need for family physicians where they are needed most," said Dr. Daniel Grushka, associate professor and postgraduate program director for the Department of Family Medicine.

MPP Bob Bailey called the expansion "outstanding news for the Sarnia-Lambton community." He said the ongoing partnership between Western University's medical school and Bluewater Health "has been a vital resource for meeting the health-care needs of our region."